Clique mcc "Wheels of Steel" dayjol

I haven't been to a bike rally for a couple of years now, sort of lost my enthusiasm for the whole camping thing, maybe getting too old for scrambling in and out of a tent that I can't stand up in. Falling down onto a bed on the ground is easy but getting up off the ground is not, especially when there is nothing to grab hold of! I always used to camp onsite at rallies rather than hire a bed somewhere for two reasons; firstly I liked being in the centre of the action and secondly when I party I don't like to ride my bike.

So now what I prefer is attending the local "dayjols" run by the various clubs, spend a couple of hours socializing, trying to be careful with my alcohol consumption and then going home. Some take the form of sleepovers where one pays a bit extra for a bed for the night, those are eminently preferable but not quite as frequent.

This past Saturday saw the running of the annual "Wheels of Steel" dayjol held by the local chapter of the Clique mcc in Velddrif which is some 40km from home. Our patches must be seen there as there were quite a lot of them at our recent Dart run. Reciprocity is important and eleven of our club members rode through to visit.

Photo by Gerrie

Four of us met just before 14h00 and rode through together, the others had gone through earlier. It's only about 25km but it was a pleasant ride and the bike was feeling good, I had already done a bit of riding before the meeting point.

The Clique jols are always well organized and well attended and that day was no exception, when we arrived the parking area was full up and the bar was buzzing. Lots and lots of familiar faces, local bikers both club affiliated and solo riders from all over the area and as far as Capetown were milling around the bar, listening to the DJ in the garden, watching or taking part in the games that had just started. Happily enjoying the vibe and partying as bikers know how. There were also some craft, accessory and food stalls selling all sorts of things from sheath knives to home made biscuits.

The usual games were on the go, the tire throw for men and ladies and then the slow races, also for men and ladies. There was also a burn-out pit where one could burn out a second-hand tire for R50 and stand a chance to win R1,000 prize, that also had quite a lot of entrants.

Some of the Meeulanders members seeking shelter from the sun, the weather has been great lately and it is definitely getting warmer.

Part of the crowd watching the games

Better get that fixed or you're walking!

I spent a very pleasant few hours at the jol chatting with friends and then headed for home, there had been warnings of road blocks circulating on one of the whatsapp groups so just in case I rode home the back way, I didn't see anything neither did I hear of any police activity subsequently but it pays to be cautious.

I didn't see Michelle Liebenberg take this photo, she always takes lots of photos at bike events, I appear to be having a contemplative moment and I think at that stage I was deciding whether I had had enough beer or whether there was room for one more. As it turned out I did have one more.

Cheers everyone, stay safe and keep the shiny side up.